Crans-Montana: Bar owner Moretti arrested for domestic violence
Jacques Moretti, the main suspect in the Crans-Montana fire case, is once again in pre-trial detention – this time for domestic violence against his wife.
Moretti back in custody – domestic violence against wife
Jacques Moretti, a bar owner from Crans-Montana and the main suspect in the criminal proceedings concerning the fire disaster at the turn of the year, is again in pre-trial detention. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing the Swiss television station "Léman Bleu", the 50-year-old Frenchman was arrested at his home in Valais during the night of 12 August for domestic violence.
Moretti is suspected of hitting his wife Jessica Moretti. She subsequently required hospital treatment. The fresh arrest is not directly connected to the fire in his bar "Constellation" on New Year's Eve, in which 41 predominantly young people were killed and more than 100 others were injured.
Jessica Moretti had operated the bar together with her husband and was working there that night. She survived the inferno uninjured. She is among the 16 suspects under investigation for, amongst other things, involuntary manslaughter, negligent arson and grievous bodily harm.
The couple's lawyers emphasised in a statement that the recent incidents were the subject of separate proceedings that concerned exclusively the private life of their clients. There must be no confusion with the tragedy at the "Constellation". Nevertheless, they conceded: "However, they are in a context that cannot be overlooked: a particularly severe ordeal that the Morettis have been attempting to face together since 1 January."
The fateful fire itself is well documented through videos, photographs and eyewitness accounts. Sparks from champagne bottles ignited the fire. A waitress who held two bottles in her hands whilst sitting on the shoulders of a colleague did not notice that the sparks reached the ceiling. The acoustic insulation material attached there caught fire immediately.
The material was apparently cheap foam. The cantonal fire protection law stipulates that building materials on the ceilings and walls of publicly accessible rooms such as bars, restaurants or concert halls must be non-flammable or at most difficult to ignite.
The foam plays a central role in the investigation. Moretti contradicted himself in the process: he initially claimed to have purchased the material at a local Hornbach outlet, where an employee was supposed to have confirmed its suitability for a commercial basement bar. However, Hornbach did not stock this insulation material at the time in question. Later, Moretti produced an invoice from a German supplier – which turned out to be a forgery. In early June, Jessica Moretti admitted during questioning that she had forged the receipt. Since then, the public prosecutor has been investigating the couple additionally for document forgery.
Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung